Interview: The Ugly

Interview by Re(i)na

On a not surprisingly cold and snowy day of early March in Stockholm, taking shelter in a not so quiet – admittedly – pub, I had the pleasure to chat over beers with Ingemar Gustafsson and Johan Eriksson, co-founders of The Ugly.

The Ugly

In this not so ugly interview, Ingemar and Johan held nothing back: they shared with me stories on the past and background of this 16-year old band, ranging from its birth to its highlights; they filled me in on their present state, as the quest for their signature sound – their identity if you’d prefer – is now over, but the quest to settle the band’s line-up has just begun; and finally, they made me anxious about what is yet to expect from The Ugly. 

So, sit back, relax, get a beer (or, better yet, choose your own poison) and join us by watching this video interview with background music from The Ugly (courtesy of The Ugly and ViciSolum Records).

Navigate through:

The Ugly

00′:30” (Towards Ingemar) How did you get introduced into the Black Metal scene? Which bands served as your main influences?

02′:00” (Towards Johan) How did you get introduced into the Black Metal scene? Which bands served as your main influences?

03′:10” (Towards Johan) What made you choose to play guitar?

04′:15” How did it come to the point to form “The Ugly”?

05′:10” What does “The Ugly” stand for?

06′:32” What are “The Ugly” about?

08′:24” Has the Swedish Black Metal scene evolved?

The Ugly

09′:40” What do you think of the Black Metal scene outside Sweden?

10′:55” If you could decide on the ideal line-up for a festival, which bands would you choose to appear beside you?

14′:45” Line-up changes in the history of The Ugly…

17′:10” Can you identify your sources of inspiration (musically and lyrically)?

19′:30” How did you come up with “Thanatology”?

24′:05” Do you think that you are musically moving towards a specific direction?

The Ugly

27′:40” Is this a rest period for you now, after “Thanatology”?

29′:37” Any highlights in the history of “The Ugly”?

33′:00” Anything to add?

33′:15” Do you have a message for This Is Black Metal readers?

Music:

Music on background is a selection of parts of songs from the three albums of The Ugly (Slaves to the Decay, Decreation and Thanatology), courtesy of The Ugly and ViciSolum records. The tracks included are listed below in the same order as in the video:

The Ugly

Thanatology (Thanatology)

Black Goat (Decreation)

Black Metal Punks (Slaves to the Decay)

Divide et Impera (Slaves to the Decay)

Crooked Serpent Salvation (Slaves to the Decay)

Decreation (Decreation)

Pallor Mortis (Thanatology)

I Am Death (Decreation)

The Ugly

Seven Heads, Ten Horns (Slaves to the Decay)

Nibiru (Decreation)

Necro Worship (Thanatology)

Usurpator Vitae (Thanatology)

Begravningshymn (Thanatology)

Dressed in Death (Thanatology)

King of Death (Thanatology)

Sons of Stench (Thanatology)

Necromancer (Thanatology)

9 March 2018

Explore further:

www.facebook.com/theuglyofficial

www.metal-archives.com/bands/The_Ugly